Full Cold Moon - Have A Great Christmas Eve!

Christmas Eve Moon It is Christmas dinner at our house today.  But later on, the night sky will be filled with something other than Santa's sleigh in the sky.  This year has the distinction of a beautiful Full Cold Moon. I saw it this morning - a huge golden ball low on the western horizon. It's called a Full Cold Moon because it occurs at the beginning of winter. The last time a full moon shined on Christmas night was  in 1977. And the next one won't appear until 2034. According to NASA, the Full Cold Moon will peak in brightness and size at 23.11 GMT on December 24 and will still be full the next night on December 25. The space agency provided the stunning image above of the Full Cold Moon, taken by its orbiting Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter. You can see the video here. Have a great Christmas Eve!

Beautiful Allan Gardens Toronto Canada

While I haven't had a chance to visit Allan Gardens this winter, here are some images from last winter's beautiful display - from the floral wall that I've decorated with textures to the cold greenhouse with azaleas and cyclamens in soothing pinks.

Gardening and Gardeners - Barry Parker

Sunday was Barry's first open garden day for Open Gardens Toronto.  His city garden is laid out in a gracious classical design.  He collects rare and unusual plants, and many are displayed in tufa and stone containers.  This past Sunday, his Hellebore collection was on display.

Canada Blooms as Great as Ever!

Debbe Shannon was there with her collective and interactive art, and I participated in the mural, contributing the landscape curl.

And lots of fun and creative garden and floral displays.

Traversing the Garden

This is the month when the transition from Autumn to Winter occurs in my garden.  The hosta leaves have collapsed with the frost and their delicate and intricate veins make beautiful abstract landscapes.  Here's an example:

November's Calendar - A Lavendar View

November is a great flower month.  We don't usually think of it that way.  We think of November as when things really die in the garden, when the leaves are completely gone, and the weather gets cold.  It's November 1st today and it sure met these criteria.  There was hard frost over night, and every annual is done and gone.  

We have to go to where the flowers are in November - that's mostly public greenhouses and conservatories where there is a chrysanthemum festival this time of year.  Last year, I found out the Longwood Gardens has a spectacular display.  So this month's Calendar image is a scene from Longwood Gardens last year.

Parkwood Estate

I was out to Parkwood Estate in Oshawa yesterday as preparation for the Etobicoke Horticultural Society bus tour on Saturday June 12th.  It is a grand estate, featuring architectural, landscape and interior designs of the 1920’s and 1930’s. It was the home to auto baron R. Samuel McLaughlin (founder of General Motors of Canada).

The grand size and scope of the ‘garden rooms’ is comparable to the Dupont mansions in the Philadelphia area.  There’s an Italian garden, Sundial garden, Summer House and Sunken garden, and the Formal Garden, along with 3 greenhouses.   We checked over everything – including the lunch in lovely garden teahouse, overlooking the water fountains.  The scenes attached today are the Italian water garden.  All the plants were out for planting.  It’s the Peony Festival so everything is a-flutter with preparations for the hundreds of visitors who will descend.
 

A Little More Christmas

Allan Gardens is no ordinary garden. It is situated in the heart of Toronto and is more than 150 years old. The garden and the main part of the property was donated by George William Allan, a one-time Mayor of Toronto and long-time Senator.

The park, one of the city's oldest (since 1858), is bounded by Jarvis Street on the west, Sherbourne Street on the east, Carlton Street on the north and Gerrard Street East on the south in Toronto's Garden District. In the centre of the park is a Victorian conservatory known as the Palm House, built in 1909 to replace the pavilion burned in 1902. Rare tropical plants from all over the globe are nurtured inside. Admission is free. 

The trees in the park represent the northern tip of the Carolinian forest with species such as black cherry, American beech, red oak, sugar maple and sassafras. Most are over one hundred years old. The park is home to three varieties of squirrel, the gray, the black, and, unique to this park, the red tailed black squirrel. The park is also home to the city's largest flock of pigeons, a roving peregrine falcon and a statue of Robert Burns. The University of Toronto greenhouse (1931) was moved to the site.

Christmas Countdown - Stroll through a Christmas Garden

Here's the Christmas display in Allan Garden's Conservatories, with its Poinsettias and tropical plants and flowers.

Countdown To Christmas

It's December 15th and the countdown to Christmas is on everyone's mind - so let's do a photo every day.  


Today's image is Allan Gardens Conservatory Christmas Display - Visit a  Christmas Conservatory Garden!